Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out onto the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to be sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance! Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

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Publisher's Summary

Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out onto the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to be sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance!

Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

Tokien and the Hobbit are wonderful, and there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been written. However, Audible.com deserves scorn for the blatant money-grab move of splitting this into two parts just prior to the release of the new movie.

I really liked listening to Rob Inglis performance. English is not my native language, so I like it when a book is not read too fast. I liked Inglis' pace, his dramatization, and his voice was very pleasant to listen to. Books read by Inglis will be on my wishlist.

I will definitely listen to this again as this is a great listen although Rob Ingliss should not have sung the songs. A wonderful story full of adventure, dwarves, elves, a dragon, a Hobbit and a wizard. Also written by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Which character – as performed by Rob Inglis – was your favorite?

Rob Ingliss gives an excellent performance as the Dragon Smaug.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Thorin overcomes his greed and walks out of the mountain leading his dwarves to battle against the goblins.

Any additional comments?

This is the prequel to Lord of the Rings and in my opinion one of the best children's books ever written.

I mean that, it is a wonderful work and a classic book that will thatch children the wonder of fantasi and imagination. The Narrater is good, I love that he givs the characters voices so that when the different dworf talk and you don't get to know who was who before the end of the situation.It is a bit hard to understand way Kili and Fili sound so strange but they are the only one that got a voice that are a bit over the top.

Yes - overall it is well done and the characters are portrayed well. As always the singing was a little odd - but that might just be me?

What other book might you compare The Hobbit, Part 2 to and why?

Nothing to compare to except The Hobbit Part 1

Which character – as performed by Rob Inglis – was your favorite?

Bilbo

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Thorin's death was a special moment that encapsulated the turmoil of courage honour and friendship within the "reality" of war.

Any additional comments?

Worth a listen as it is sometimes a pleasure to have a book read to you. However for fans of this book you have to understand that having it read to you means that some decisions about the characters that are yours if you read are made for you by the narrator.

The Hobbit is a really enetertaining story which I have been meening to read for several years but finally got around to listen to. Rob Inglis did a good job narrating this story (and a good job singing in it). I would have loved to listen to the full story in one go, but didn't have the time to do it. I absolutely recomend you to listen to this audiobook.

If you could sum up The Hobbit, Part 2 in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, clear, entertaining.

What does Rob Inglis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Rob has a good singing voice which he uses quite often. Not to my taste but probably a true interpretation of Tolkien's original.

Any additional comments?

This is a very well read version of The Hobbit and kept me interested all the way through. This is the third version I have heard, 1 abridged, 1 dramatized, and finally this one, which for me is the best.

Why Audible felt the need to sell this fairly short book into two parts I don't know. Money making?

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Mr

10/23/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"My favourite book performed brilliantly!"

Would you consider the audio edition of The Hobbit, Part 2 to be better than the print version?

I would always say that I prefer the print version as nothing will take away how I originally pictured each character and imagined how they sounded. However, Rob Inglis does a great job at bringing the story to life. Some of the singing parts are a bit cringey but I can't see any other way of performing the songs within the book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

BOLTON, United Kingdom

1/2/13

Overall

"a good tail told"

a well told story by rob lnglis well narrated and clearley told nice voices for the carricters and al done with a love for the book i loved this and pt 1 well worth the listening time

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amy

PORTSMOUTH, United Kingdom

4/7/13

Overall

"A Classic!"

Rob Inglis has a soothing voice ( could seem to be a little dull in the first few minutes - but creates good voices for the characters). I love this classic story, especially seeing how events and characters link to Lord of the Rings.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Jim Vaughan

Malvern, UK

2/15/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good story, well narrated - but why in 2 parts!?"

My main gripe is that this already short 12 hr book was unnecessarily split into two 6 hr books!! Why?!

Having got that off my chest, it is however, a classic story, faultlessly read and performed by Rob Inglis.

I read the Hobbit as a book, some time ago, but was pleasantly surprised to be reminded how much depth there was to the plot. It is sometimes regarded as a mere prequel to "Lord of the Rings", and yet it is in many ways a better book, with less of the "march-fight-rest-march again" cycles of LotR as it bounces along.

You probably already know whether stories of trolls, dwarves, elves, goblins and dragons etc. float your boat. Like Marmite, some love Tolkien's stuff, while others can't stand it. If you aren't sure (actually, I'm not too sure myself), I would advise starting with The Hobbit (part 1) first, before embarking on the even more epic quest to listen to Lord of the Rings. Like LotR, there are hours of fun to be had afterwards, analysing and arguing over all the allegorical symbolic meanings behind the narrative.

Overall, this is a classic tale, excellently narrated, that bounces along at a good pace, with all the magic and enchantment of a pre-scientific age.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Simon

1/14/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Beware the singing!"

I loved all of it, except the singing! When you have it on sleep timer & all of a sudden there's loud singing, kind of ruins you dropping off to sleep. That said, great performance.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

london uk

1/3/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"The Hobbit"

As usual, Tolkien is the master of middle earth. The story if you have already read the Lord of the rings trilogy is entertaining if not as gripping as the other 3. It is very enlightening though to see some of the early history of Bilbo and his dealings with the elves, dwarves and Gandalf. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable experience rather well narrated.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Emily

East cowes, United Kingdom

12/17/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Loved the book but the singing!!"

Loved this story and the narration was good BUT ..... The singing after a while is so annoying. I wish he would have just spoken it. Other than that I loved it.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

Birmingham, United Kingdom

1/9/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"A classic tale"

I'm a Tolkein fan, so no suprises that I enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to get used to the reading style, but once I had I enjoyed the interpretation.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Gary Satherley

Gwent, South Wales United Kingdom

9/23/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"A Delight."

It's nice to take a trip back to the world of the hobbit. And there is no one better to accompany you there than Rob Inglis. He is the perfect narrator for this story. At times I felt Tolkein himself was reading to me. Puts everything he has into the narration, and brings each character to life.

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